Applying STEAM Teaching Method to Primary Schools to Improve the Quality of Teaching and Learning for Children

Abstract

Unlike the traditional educational model with the way teachers lecture, students take notes making students feel boring and not very effective. STEAM education is a modern educational model that focuses on practice for students to discover and learn on their own. Therefore, it will inspire learning to students, sparking creativity and passion in children. Originating in the US, STEAM education has been interested in and researched for many years, in countries around the world. In the context of the industrial revolution 4.0, jobs and occupations in society related to STEAM education fields tend to increase. The overall goal of STEAM education is not only to create understanding of STEAM and the qualities of 21st century citizens, but also to develop human resources in STEAM fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Researching on STEAM education has been, and is being, interested by many educators, the research trend in this field will continue to be developed in the future not only in the world but also in the Vietnam. This article addresses the pros and cons of STEAM education, and was completed with support from survey results conducted at some International Primary School, Ho Chi Minh City. The article uses quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis as well as some results from previous studies, in order to clarify the issue of educating children to access scientific knowledge easily. The results show that we need to widely apply this method not only in primary schools but also in all primary schools in Vietnam in order to improve the quality of teaching, and to train human resources for 4.0 industries.